Crime And Punishment
by Tatsumaki-sama
Summary: Broly took a look at Gohan and decided his death would be the best retribution for Goku.


**Disclaimer:** I don't own Dragonball Z or any of its characters.

**Crime And Punishment   
**

Kakarot, how much do you love your son?

It was painfully, obviously so that he did. The way he glanced at him, to make sure he was safe. The way he yelled for his son, to warn him of the danger that is me. The way he gripped the boy's shoulder, to let him know he had it under control. There was no mistaking it. The love of a father. Oh, how I despised it.

My own father feared me. I can see it in his eyes, every time he is forced to look at me. There is always a tremble, a hesitant concern, not for me, but for himself. He believed that I am in his control, that I am obedient and submissive. Nevertheless, he dreaded the day when I would break out of his control and rampage across the universe. He does not see me as a son. He saw me as something to be restrained, to be subdued. He saw me as a monster.

Not like Kakarot to his son. Another reason why I hated him. He cared deeply for his son, unlike mine, allowed him to run free, do what he pleased, while mine kept me caged and quelled. Why was I the one to be imprisoned and locked up? It merely angered me more.

That boy ... he looked so much like Kakarot. I nearly mistook him for Kakarot in the beginning. This boy, a child, had to be Kakarot's son. The resemblance was so blatant, no one could have missed it. His face. His smile. His hair. His voice. His personality. Even his scent. Everything about him was an exact copy of Kakarot to me. I decided I hated him too. Just the sight of him sickened me. When he smiled earlier, face alight in amusement, disgust flooded in me, to an alarming amount that I wanted to spew it out, spitting the unpleasant taste from my mouth. I wanted to slap that smile off his face, hit him so hard his laughter would turn into a cry of pain. I wanted to blast him into oblivion to save myself from another single moment of that repulsive sound. I wanted to kill him so I could laugh gleefully at Kakarot's tormented expression when he realizes that his son is dead.

But no, father said not yet. I had to endure it, wait it out patiently until the right moment for me to strike and permit me to concede to my battle lust. But I had waited for years and years on end. Waited for this Prince Vegeta and waited under father's orders. The prince, the one who father told me was responsible for all our miseries, was finally found and had arrived on our little pretend planet of Vegeta under our carefully planned trap. I felt no antimony towards him. Irritation, yes. His arrogant tone was enough to infuriate the most patient of mans. I could easily squash him like a bug if I chose to, for he was no more than an ant to me. Still, I listened to father, who wanted the prince to suffer for what his father, the king himself, had done to us. Father and I were more alike than I realized, since we both had someone we wanted to hurt, physically and mentally. It was just that the people we wanted to inflict the torment on were two different people.

After the prince and I returned from our pointless journey to find the Legendary Super Saiyan (considering the Legendary Super Saiyan was me), I trailed docilely behind as he testily reproached father for not being able to find the Legendary Super Saiyan, me a forgotten shadow to the figures in front of me. Up ahead, I saw the prince speak coolly to someone sitting on the ledge of the window, someone who was unusually casual and carefree. Something about his voice made my shoulders stiffened and the hair on the back of my neck stand. Only when the man leaped off the ledge did he notice me. Upon seeing this strange, orange-clad man, I immediately recognized him as the one I sought for so long.

Kakarot.

I do not know what happened to me. All the previous bitterness for his son was gone, only to be replaced by a fresh new rage, bubbling and erupting. The sight of Kakarot before me snapped something within me and I found myself itching to get my hands around his tiny neck and squeezing, squeezing until he chokes and dies in agony. He stared down at me, eyes narrowed, a frown touching his lips, power rising in hostility, even though I easily towered over him in height. Even now, he acted superior to me!

_Behave_, father cautioned. His control strengthened, pressuring increasingly on me, a soothing voice whispering in my ear to back down. But I cannot. Not after seeing Kakarot alive and well. My thirst for battle and revenge almost overcame father's control. The voice beside my ear, murmured louder, more insistently, until I eventually calmed and settled down, reverting to my peaceful, passive self. Only then did Kakarot dropped his defense. Nonetheless, as he walked away with the raucous old man and pig, for a split second, his eyes flicked towards me in wariness.

That night, I found no sleep. I could only hear Kakarot's aggravating shrieks and cries in my head, ringing, ringing, ringing. The cries echoed and vibrated in all corners of my head, bouncing off and grew louder, not softening. They kept me awake, robbing me of my precious sleep, driving me insane with the sound, as it had did years and years ago when I was an infant. Before I knew it, I attacked Kakarot in his room to silence him once and for all. Stop your wailing, I wanted to scream at him. You had already taken my sanity. Leave me my peace!

As expected, Kakarot retaliated. His knee slammed hard into my face and for once, I tasted blood, my blood, dribbling down from my bruised mouth. My tongue slithered out and lapped it up greedily, while Kakarot grimaced in revolt and objection. My energy flared out violently and there was no longer anything to keep it quenched. I wanted Kakarot to experience fear and terror. The astonished expression on his face was but the appetizer. Before I could attack, father appeared and once more in the same day, the pleasant voice spoke to me, trying to pacify my murderous rage. This time, I resisted. I was so close. Kakarot was within my reach. I will not let him slip from my fingers again! I fought back, harder than I would have. I almost defeated the sweet voice and my father, but in the end, they won and unwillingly, I was the tamed beast again.

However, I was not satisfied. I wanted blood. Kakarot's blood. Or better yet, his brat's blood. Now that I had slipped outside of father's control, even if it was for a mere minute, I could do it again more easily. I had, with pleasure, seen the panic in father's eyes when for that minute, he realized that he could not control me. I wanted to destroy them all now! But father's control still held sway over my body and I could do nothing but wait. The night, this single night, seemed longer than all the long, cold nights I spent for many, many years.

Morning came. Father was trying to dissuade the prince from leaving and thus, ruining our - his ingenious scheme. I followed as a faithful puppy, ignored and reclusive. During their fruitless argument, I froze. That scent and aura that seeped on the rocky path and towards the ship, it was unmistakable who it belonged to. Then, his cheerful, blithe voice confirmed it, accompanied by his radiant laughter. It completely and utterly repulsed and enraged me. Father was speaking, coldly and harshly, now that his intentions were exposed by Kakarot and the prince's son. I paid no heed. I was too aware that Kakarot was looking at me, glaring was more like it. He did not forget what happened the last night and neither did I.

All sense and reason were gone. I walked towards him, only focused on Kakarot alone. My father's weak calls to control me and the prince's useless attacks didn't faze me at all as I stopped in front of Kakarot. The power, the energy, the storm in me, after being bottled up and suppressed for so long, went wild. It exploded out, licking and incinerating everything within its touch. The air was burnt, sizzling and hissing, and the rocks screamed as they were torn apart by my energy. Father was blown away, knocked down. The prince stared in dumbfounded shock. Kakarot tensed, going into a fighting stance, watching my every move cautiously. I would deal with them later. For now, my eyes were on Kakarot. How wonderful, how exhilarating it was to be free.

The boy, as small and insignificant as he was, dared to stand against me. He even challenged me, in a silly attempt to defend his father against me. What a fool. I charged at him, ready and preparing to crush him, like an elephant crushing a maggot beneath its mighty foot. But Kakarot was quick. He shove his son out of the way, telling at him to move, to get out of harm's way. He grabbed the boy, both of them taking to the skies, watching me in grim assessment, trying to decide on their next course of action against the invincible me. No one could miss the stance Kakarot now used. Protective. Wary. Unflinching. Similar to a lioness crouching and snarling at her predator, being all that stood between it and her cubs. She would do anything and everything to guarantee the safety of her cubs. A dangerous vulnerability for Kakarot and a favorable advantage for me.

This way was better, I established rather calmly to myself. Now I can kill both of them together. After all, father and son shouldn't be too far apart. The boy would be the first to go instead of Kakarot. Anything that would cause Kakarot pain, I would gladly do it. And what better way than for him to know he is helpless as his son is killed by my hands before his very eyes?

So tell me, Kakarot, how much do you love your son?


End file.
